


stuck between my teeth just like a candy bar

by tiffaniesblews



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Angst and Humor, Eventual Katara/Zuko (Avatar), F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Oblivious Katara, POV Katara (Avatar), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, candy fixes everything, kind of in the beginning, no beta we die like men, so does ice cream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:07:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28840620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiffaniesblews/pseuds/tiffaniesblews
Summary: Katara had a bad day. The type of day where all she wanted to do was go home and wrap herself up in a blanket burrito and ignore all of her friends' messages.Zuko, though, does not listen to her request to be alone and appears at her door with all of the necessities needed to make her feel better.Comfort food, wine, trashy movies, and dancing with no music on. A perfect end to a terrible day.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 119





	stuck between my teeth just like a candy bar

**Author's Note:**

> I've been writing a lot of angst for Zutara lately and I needed some pure, unadulterated fluff. That and I dreamt this entire fic last night in my sleep, so here we are. 
> 
> This was more of a "write as you talk" type of fic, so yeah a lot of it is just me making weird pauses just like I would when I talk or think.
> 
> Title comes from Halsey's "Finally // Beautiful Stranger".

There were plenty of things in the world that would cause a person to wrap themselves in a big comfy blanket, sit on the couch, and refuse to leave their apartment for the rest of the night. 

For one, a bad break up. You know, the type of break up you never saw coming and it slaps you across the face so hard you’re pretty sure you’re experiencing some sort of emotional  _ and  _ physical whiplash? That’s a good reason.

Another good reason is flunking a test you’re so  _ sure  _ you aced. You know, you’re sitting in class and then your professor hands back your test and you flip it over all confident, but then your eyes fall on the big, fat ‘F’ written in bright red on top of the paper? Then you go home and wallow in self pity because there goes your academic career.

Don’t forget making a complete fool of yourself in front of your classmates, coworkers, or friends. Like when you laugh at a joke you don’t understand and then someone asks you what it means just to call you out. Or when you spill coffee all over yourself in front of the cute guy who works the counter at the grocery store. Or when you trip going  _ up  _ the stairs, causing the papers in your hand to go flying all over the place.

All very valid reasons for someone to decide to stay home and refuse to interact with the outside world ever again.

Luckily for Katara, none of the above reasons are why she had decided to stay home this glorious Friday night in order to become a burrito of sadness while watching trashy romance movies that don’t even make any sense. 

No, no, Katara just had  _ the worst day of her life _ . She’s being dramatic, of course, but still when one terrible thing happens right after the other it’s enough to make anyone not want to leave the comfort of their couch. 

It all started that morning when Katara’s alarm somehow didn’t go off at it’s normal time of 6:30, causing Katara to wake up at almost 7:30. Jumping out of bed, she only had time to brush her teeth and get dressed before flying out the door without showering or having any coffee because if she took her time she would have been late for work. Luckily, her office building is only a few blocks away so Katara made it with just five minutes to spare.

But, of course,  _ she  _ had to notice. June, the bitchy receptionist who noticed every tiny detail, who knew all of the office drama and gossip, and was not above making a snarky comment just to ruin someone’s day.

“You look like shit,” June had commented, flicking her pen against the receptionist desk with a smirk on her face. “Your hair is a mess and you’re not even wearing makeup, did you just roll out of bed?”

“Not today, June,” Katara snapped back, pulling her badge out from her bag and tapping it against the scanner to let her into the office.

Unfortunately, Katara didn’t see June smirk some more before picking up the phone. 

When Katara finally made it to her desk, she collapsed into her chair, placing her face in her hands in relief. But the relief didn’t last long as there came a knocking at her door, causing her to look up to see her boss, Karuk, standing at the threshold of her office staring at her.

“June said you were late today,” he had told her, leaning up against the doorframe. “Care to explain what happened?”

Katara sighed. “My alarm didn’t go off this morning, so I had to rush. I’m sorry, Karuk, it won’t happen again.”

“This is your first time, so I’ll let it slide,” Karuk replied, shrugging lightly. “Just don’t let it happen again, and be thankful you don’t have any appointments with families this morning.”

“Yes, sir,” Katara replied, trying to give Karuk a smile that meant ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t fire me over one tiny mistake’. 

Karuk gave her one last look before walking away, closing the door behind him as he did. 

Surely that had to be the end Katara’s no good, horrible, very bad day right? 

Wrong.

One of her coworkers heard she was late this morning, so they bought Katara a coffee and a bagel to eat so she wouldn’t pass out from hunger. Just as Katara was about to enjoy her breakfast, she moved her hand awkwardly causing her coffee to spill all over one of her important files regarding a family that Katara was meeting with later that day.

_ Shit _ . 

So now Katara had no coffee, and she was going to have to meet this family with a coffee stained file. 

At least she had her bagel, right? Wrong. Katara was so focused on getting the coffee stain out of the papers that she didn’t even notice that her bagel somehow fell cream cheese first off her desk and onto the carpet. Okay, fine, she can scrape off the nasty cream cheese and eat the bagel, that’s fine. Nope, somehow Katara got the one moldy bagel that escaped inspection and it had to be thrown out.

So Katara went hungry until lunch, which, thank Spirits, went better than she had hoped it would. At least someone in the office decided to order a deli platter from the deli down the street, so Katara could munch on ham and cheese to keep herself from dying of starvation.

Then, on her way to a meeting, as Katara ran up the stairs with manila folders in her arms, Katara tripped on the stairs and fell. Up. The. Stairs. Her papers, of course, went flying everywhere, and an extremely handsome man who worked on the floor below her witnessed the entire debacle. Sure, he stopped to help her out, but Katara couldn’t miss the way he was trying to stifle his laughter as he handed her her now disorganized papers. 

Honestly, more happened at the office, but Katara decided to push that all away until it was  _ finally  _ time to go home at 5:00pm. As she walked out to the lobby, June gave Katara her classic smirk, which almost sent Katara over the edge. Almost.

The walk home was probably the only good part of her day because when she finally got home and went into the bathroom, she noticed a puddle of water by the toilet. A backed up toilet is  _ just  _ what she needed. When she called the landlord, he just told her that he couldn’t make it until Saturday morning, meaning Katara had to figure a way out to use her own damn bathroom without clogging her toilet any more than it already was. 

No, that’s it, Katara was not dealing with any more bad luck today. She’s all pooped out, tired of being the universe’s punching bag.

So, now, Katara was dressed in her comfiest sweatpants and baggy T-shirt while sitting on her couch, her blanket wrapped around her tightly, that trashy romance movie playing on Netflix as Katara ignored her vibrating phone that slipped in between the couch cushions at some point. Before this moment, she did send her friends a text just to let them know that she was not to be perceived for the rest of the night, but she was sure they were still texting her anyway. 

**Katara to Gang (5:43pm):** I am a shell of a human being. I am not not to be perceived or disturbed. If you try and contact me, I will not answer. 

**Sokka to Gang (5:48pm):** Kat, are you okay? Sounds pretty serious.

**Suki to Gang (5:51pm):** Did you have a bad day? Do you want some company?

**Aang to Gang (5:52pm):** Come hang out with us!! It’ll make you feel better!!

**Toph to Gang (5:56pm):** You assholes, she just said not to bother her. 

And so, her friends continued to text in the group chat, probably asking her what was wrong and begging her to hang out with them, but she ignored their incessant messages. No, all Katara needed was this handsome actor dressed in a suit from the 1800s to make her forget the day she had. Was she worrying her friends by not answering? Perhaps. Did she care? Okay, she did feel bad for ignoring them, but after years of acting like their mother, she deserved  _ one  _ night to herself right?

For two hours straight Katara sat there, eyes glued to the TV not even noticing that her phone had finally stopped buzzing with messages from her friends. Instead, she let Netflix play the next trashy romance movie in its queue as she adjusted her blanket so that it was now on her head.

At 8:30, there came a loud knocking at her door, causing Katara to jump out from her stupor and sit up on the couch, staring at the front door with confusion. Who could be at her apartment at this hour? Did she  _ not  _ tell her friends that didn’t want to be disturbed, that she wanted to be alone for the night? Unless it was the landlord who decided to deal with her toilet issue now rather than later. 

Groaning, Katara got up off the couch, her blanket still wrapped around her on her head, and went over to the door. Before opening it, though, she looked through the tiny peephole to figure out who the hell decided to ignore her request and come bother her.

She was surprised to see who was on the other side. Blinking, Katara opened the door to Zuko who stood in the hallway with a plastic bag from the drugstore down the street in one hand and a paper bag of takeout in the other. 

“Zuko?” she croaked, staring at him as he gave her an embarrassed smile. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

Zuko shrugged. “Well, I know you said in the group chat that you didn’t want to be perceived, but you weren’t answering anyone’s messages, so I decided to take it upon myself and do exactly what you asked us not to do.”

“Ah, so you decided to completely ignore my wishes?” Katara quipped, leaning up against the door. “I see, and what a good friend you are.”

“Hey, I came here knowing there were two outcomes,” Zuko told her, lifting the bags up so Katara could see them. “The first, I knock on your door, you answer, I tell you I got you something, you take my gifts and then you ask me to leave, which I oblige.”

“And the second possible outcome?” Katara asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I say I come bearing gifts, then you thank me and invite me in because you realized you  _ don’t  _ actually want to be alone right now,” Zuko continued, raising his lone eyebrow back at her. “Now, I won’t lie to you, I like the second outcome a lot better, but if you choose the first, I won’t object.”

Katara considered him, biting her lip as she thought about what to do. When she got home, all Katara wanted to do was wallow in self pity by herself and allow those intrusive thoughts that she would never be good enough take over her brain. But with Zuko standing there, a small grin on his face as he watched her, Katara couldn’t help but rethink her original plan. 

She  _ did  _ tell her friends she didn’t want any company, but this was  _ Zuko _ , her best friend in the whole world next to her brother, Sokka, and his girlfriend, Suki. Sokka and Suki were both great, don’t get her wrong, but sometimes they could both be so overbearing and Katara did not want to deal with either of them asking her what was wrong or telling her to talk about her problems. Zuko, on the other hand, had never actually made her talk about her problems unless she wanted to. No, Zuko liked to sit with Katara and just hang out in comfortable silence or tell each other stupid stories they know would make the other laugh. Zuko would randomly pick her up from her apartment to take her to see a new movie that just came out or to take her to try out the new restaurant that opened in town. Katara would often drop by his apartment without warning and sit on the floor of his bedroom as he sat at his desk writing an article for the journal he worked for. 

None of that was different from right now, where Zuko was standing in the hallway in front of her apartment door waiting for her to decide what she wanted to do. 

Reluctantly, she opened the door wider and moved aside, motioning for Zuko to come. He grinned at her before stepping past the threshold, eyeing her up and down as he did.

“Going for the ghost look, huh?” he commented, dropping the bags on the kitchen table with a  _ thump  _ and turning to face her once more.

Katara shrugged, pulling her blanket down so that it was now just wrapped around her shoulders, completely away from her head and exposing her greasy hair that was now pulled into the messiest of messy buns. A few loose strands of hair framed her face, and she couldn’t help but notice the way Zuko was staring at her. She felt herself blush before looking away from Zuko and pointing to the bags that now sat on the table.

“What’s all that?” she asked, making her way to the table and pulling out a chair to sit. She tried to grab one of the bags, but Zuko just pulled it away from her, swatting her hand away as he did.

“Uh, uh,” he replied, swatting her again as she playfully tried to grab a different bag. “May I present my gifts to you, oh mighty, Katara?”

“Well, good sir, what have you brought me?” she asked, starting to laugh. She wrapped the blanket around her more and leaned her elbows on the table, giving Zuko her full attention. 

He went for the paper bag first, pulling out a styrofoam carton used for takeout foods.

“First,” he said, placing the carton in front of Katara and opening it, “some chicken lo mein from the noodle place down the street, because I know it’s one of your comfort foods.”

“You got that right,” Katara replied, her mouth watering as the scent of the noodles wafted up towards her nose. 

Zuko smirked as he folded the paper bag up and then threw it down the table where it almost slid off the table. He then opened one of the plastic bags, pulling out a pint of ice cream. 

“I also bought some Ben and Jerry’s Super Fudge Brownie ice cream,” he stated, placing that down next to the noodles. “I know it’s not your favorite, but that was the only flavor they had left.”

“Chocolate is chocolate,” Katara assured him.

“Great,” he replied, sticking his hand in the bag once more and pulling out a fistful of candy. “I also got way too many candy bars because I couldn’t just choose one and if you don’t eat them, then I will.”

Katara laughed. “Are you trying to give me a sugar rush?”

“Maybe,” Zuko replied, crumpling the empty bag and then opening the last one. He pulled out a bottle of wine and placed it on the table. “I also got you your favorite wine: pink, sparkling, and under eleven dollars.”

“You sure know your way to a girl’s heart,” Katara exclaimed, grabbing the bottle of wine to examine the label, completely missing Zuko turning bright red in front of her. 

“Anyways,” Zuko stated, clearing his throat, “I can tell you had a bad day, so I figured I would just stop by with some things to make you feel better.”

“That was really sweet, Zuko,” Katara replied, giving him a soft smile and placing the bottle of wine on the table. “You didn’t need to do that.”

Zuko ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. “I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. Now, you can either enjoy this all yourself or…”

“Stay and enjoy it with me,” she told him, reaching out grabbing his hand. “I know I said I wanted to be alone, but it might be nice to have some company to keep me from going off the deep end.”

“All right, sure,” Zuko replied, sighing with relief. “Let me get some utensils and we can eat.”

“Sure!” Katara exclaimed, letting go of Zuko and clapping her hands together. 

Zuko made his way around the kitchen with ease, opening Katara’s utensil drawer and pulling out two forks and two spoons as if he’s been there thousands of times. Actually, Zuko had been to Katara’s apartment thousands of times. Out of everyone, he’s been there the most. She also watched as he opened up another cabinet and pulled out two wine glasses before making his way over back to the table. He handed Katara a glass, one of the forks, and of the spoons before sitting down himself. Luckily, since he chose the cheap bottle of wine, the cover was a screw off so Zuko opened the wine and poured Katara’s glass first.

“I feel so pampered,” Katara stated, watching as Zuko poured himself a glass of wine.

“Anything for you, my lady,” Zuko joked, giving Katara a mock bow as he set the bottle back on the table.

“Oh, ha ha,” Katara replied, giving Zuko a punch on the arm. “But, thanks, this is really nice.”

“Dinner of champions, right?” Zuko asked as Katara dove in on the lo mein, twisting her fork around to get herself a nice helping of noodles. 

He laughed as she shoved the noodles into her mouth, a few spilling out of her mouth and onto her chin as she chewed. Usually, Katara would have been embarrassed by terrible eating habits, but this was Zuko and she really didn’t care what she looked like with him. When he was sure that Katara had enough noodles herself, Zuko finally began picking at the food himself. At one point, they both reached for the same piece of chicken, resulting in the two of them fighting with their forks over who got to eat it.

“Technically, I  _ did  _ pay for this dinner,” Zuko stated, clinking his fork against Katara’s.

“Yes, but you bought this for  _ me _ , so I should get it,” Katara retorted, looking up at Zuko at just the right time to see the corner of his mouth quirk upwards in amusement. Unfortunately, the distraction gave Zuko the advantage and he was able to successfully push Katara’s fork away and stab the piece of chicken with his own fork, holding it up in front of him in triumph.

“Ha!” he exclaimed, using his opposite hand to point at his uplifted fork. “I win!”

“No fair!” Katara whined. “I was distracted!”

“By what?” Zuko asked, raising his lone eyebrow as he smirked. 

Katara closed her mouth and crossed her arms. She would rather lose than admit she was too busy staring at Zuko.

“Hey, I was kidding,” he told, handing her over his fork, the piece of chicken dangling on it. “You can have it. I just like to push your buttons.”

“Oh, it’s - it’s fine,” Katara stammered, feeling herself go hot. “Seriously, you can have it. I think I’m done with the noodles.”

Zuko shrugged and popped the chicken in his mouth. 

“Want to open this bad boy up?” Katara asked, holding up the ice cream.

“As long as we can eat some candy at the same time,” Zuko replied as Katara already began opening the ice cream, pulling off the plastic wrap around the cover. 

So the two got to work, both going back and forth between eating the ice cream and eating a piece of candy.

Katara felt lighter, more relaxed than she had all day. Her blanket slid down her shoulders, exposing her ratty T-shirt, her hair was still a mess, and she was sure her eyes were still red from crying but she didn’t care, because she had Zuko with her to make her life feel a lot better than it was. 

“I’m being dramatic,” she said finally after Zuko finished his story about a flying squirrel that somehow got into his publisher’s office.

“Oh yeah?” he asked her, taking a big scoop of ice cream from the carton. “Why’s that?”

“I just had a really bad day, and I’m acting like it’s the end of the world,” Katara told him, sighing deeply. She placed her spoon on the table next to the ice cream and grabbed the wine glass to take a sip. 

“Who cares?” Zuko stated, placing his own spoon down when he was done. “Katara, you’re allowed to have a bad day and feel like shit afterwards, you know that right?”

“I guess so,” Katara replied, taking another sip of wine. “But it’s so silly, I’m sure it really was nothing.”

Zuko cocked his head and motioned for Katara to continue, palm up towards her in question. Sighing, Katara told Zuko about her no good, horrible, very bad day. Though she barely even started her story and Zuko was already wincing in pain with each and every awful aspect.

“Shit, Katara,” Zuko replied, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “No wonder you didn’t want to leave your apartment, your day sucked.”

“So, I’m not being dramatic?” she asked him, finger tracing the lip of her wine glass. 

“Agni, no, Katara,” Zuko assured her, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “Want to know the absolute worst part?”

Katara looked up at him, furrowing her eyebrows in question as a grin slowly began forming on his face.

“I really need to pee, but I’m scared about backing up your pipes anymore,” he teased, releasing his hand from Katara’s shoulder.

Katara burst out laughing, placing a hand on her mouth as Zuko leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, a triumphant smile on his lips. Leave it to Zuko to make some stupid joke that would make Katara laugh like an idiot.

“Wait, I really do need to pee, though, so what should I do?” he asked, getting up from the table and looking down at Katara.

“Oh, the landlord said if it’s ‘just liquids’ to just not flush,” Katara told him, standing up as well and gathering the utensils from the table. “So, uh, yeah.”

“Cool, so we’re entering a new level of friendship by peeing on top of each other’s pee then,” Zuko teased, giving Katara a small shove.

“Gross, but oddly sweet,” Katara stated, pretending to gag. “You go do your thing, I’ll clean up in here since you were nice enough to get this all ready.”

Zuko nodded and headed towards the bathroom, leaving Katara alone in the kitchen. Before doing anything else, she looked over towards where Zuko headed, staring after him for a brief moment before shaking her head and cleaning up the kitchen table. Together, she and Zuko ate all of the lo mein as well as the ice cream, so Katara recycled both cartons. She placed the forks and spoons in the sink, deciding to wash those tomorrow morning. She threw away the bags and wiped down the table just in case. There was still some wine left, so she poured another glass for herself and for Zuko.

She heard the bathroom sink from down the hall, signaling that Zuko was done. Grabbing both wine glasses, she went to the living room and placed both on the coffee table. Another blanket laid on the back of the couch which Katara grabbed and placed on the seat next to her. The Netflix waiting screen flashed on the TV since it had been inactive for almost an hour. 

Zuko made his way in, hands shoved in his pockets, looking for Katara. When he spotted her on the couch, she patted the empty space beside her. 

“All right, what are we watching?” he asked as he sat down, shoving his shoes off with his feet and throwing the blanket around himself in a way that was similar to the way Katara was wearing her own.

Katara grabbed the remote and pressed a button, causing Netflix’s menu to jump on screen again. She felt her phone buzz between the seat cushions and she slid her hand in between them to grab it. Zuko just laughed as she fished her phone out.

“Now I know why you weren’t answering any texts,” he observed, adjusting himself so that was leaning against the arm of the couch.

“Oh, hush,” Katara retorted, squinting at the screen.

Sure enough, she had a slew of messages from the group chat, a couple from Sokka alone, and even a few from Zuko that were probably warning her of his oncoming arrival. The message that came through just now was from her dad, a quick check in to ask how she was doing. Sokka must have said something, but sent a reply back stating that she was fine and that she was with Zuko. When she was done, she placed her phone next to her wine glass then settled back onto the couch, leaning on the opposite arm away from Zuko with her legs curled up into her.

“Oh, hey, I have an idea,” Zuko told her, sitting up straight and patting his legs. “Foot massage?”

“Really, Zuko?” Katara asked, biting her lip. “My feet probably stink.”

“So? Katara, does it look like I care?” Zuko replied, grabbing one of her feet and pulling it towards him. “Let me spoil you.”

Katara sighed but adjusted herself so that she was lying down, her feet in Zuko’s lap.

“See, perfect,” Zuko stated, already getting to work on her right foot, which Katara had to admit felt really good. “You pick the movie, I’ll watch whatever.”

“Well, I’m going to finish this trashy romance movie I was watching before you got here,” she warned him, trying not to moan as Zuko’s thumb worked its way into the arch of her foot. 

Zuko just nodded in reply, so Katara selected the movie and pressed play, leaning against a couch cushion and trying to focus on the movie and not Zuko’s hands that were massaging her aching feet. Zuko, to his credit, had his eyes glued to the movie as he worked, occasionally pouting at certain character dialogue or making a noise of surprise when something did not go the way it was planned. He moved from her right foot to her left foot, not breaking his concentration on the movie. While Zuko was totally engrossed in the movie, Katara’s eyes were glued on Zuko. 

What was so different about Zuko today that was making her heart race and her palms sweaty? Surely, this was the same exact Zuko who always dotted on her, who was so awkward and kind and  _ good _ , that Katara couldn’t help but crave his company. The same Zuko who would text her pictures of a cat and go ‘look, it’s you’ because of Sokka’s childhood nickname for her. The same Zuko who texted her every morning to tell her to have a good day because he knew how stressed she could get. The same Zuko who knew her comfort food, her favorite ice cream flavor and wine, who always knew just what to say to make her feel better. The same Zuko that she - 

_ Oh.  _

Well, that does tend to throw a wrench in things, doesn’t it?

Her foot twitched slightly at the thought, causing Zuko to tear his eyes away from the movie and look over at Katara, tilting his head to the side.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked, pausing his massage as he studied her. “Sorry, I’m really into this movie, and I kind of forgot what I was doing.”

“It’s fine,” Katara muttered, pulling her feet away from Zuko and sitting up so she could tuck her knees into her chest. 

Zuko blinked, but didn’t question her behavior. “Okay, sure.”

He turned back to the movie, wrapping his blanket more securely around his shoulders and sliding down in his seat to get more comfortable. Katara swallowed and adjusted herself so that she was still in a ball, but she wasn’t as close to Zuko as she was before. If he noticed her acting strange, he didn’t say anything. Then again, when had Zuko been good at reading emotions?

They continued watching the movie in silence, one of Katara’s favorite scenes finally coming up. Katara never considered herself to be a hopeless romantic, but she was a sucker for the trope of two people dancing together in a crowded room and everyone disappearing around them since they were so focused on each other.

“Man, that’s intense,” Zuko noted, causing Katara to chuckle lightly. “I won’t lie, I’m not one for these types of movies, but two people being so in love with each other they don’t notice anyone else? That’s some good shit, right there.”

“I’m a sucker for it,” Katara told him, finally unfurling herself and poking Zuko’s leg with her toe. “You’ve never been one to dance, though, have you?”

“Nah, too awkward for that,” Zuko replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “Plus, all those people staring at me? No thank you.”

Katara bit her lip as she stared at Zuko who was still watching the movie. Now, the idea she had was not the  _ worst _ , and it wasn’t totally unheard of. Plus, Zuko would do absolutely anything she told him to do, though he might resist just a bit. Still, with what she just figured out about her feelings, Katara thought, why not?

Throwing the blanket off herself, she stood up from off the couch and paused the TV, causing Zuko to look up at her, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Uh, Katara, what are you doing?” he asked as Katara held out a hand towards him. 

“Teaching you to dance,” she said simply, keeping her hand out to him.

Zuko pulled his blanket off his shoulders and took Katara’s hand tentatively, a bemused look still on his face as she pulled him up closer to her. 

“Okay, so put your other hand on my waist,” she told him, causing Zuko to chuckle.

“Katara, I’m not totally helpless you know,” he replied, placing a gentle hand on her waist,

The simple gesture, one that was so  _ normal  _ for what they’re doing, sent butterflies from Katara’s stomach to her chest, causing her to almost stop breathing. Instead, she cleared her throat and just placed a hand on Zuko’s shoulder, causing him to stand up straighter. 

“No, relax,” she told him. “You don’t want to be too stiff as you dance.”

“Very strange way to put that,” Zuko told her, but he released the tension in his shoulders nonetheless. 

“Shush,” she stated, “if you’re the expert, then what do we do next?”

“Uh, I would assume sway?” Zuko guessed, a faint blush on his cheeks, pink next to the red scar on his left side. 

“Very good,” Katara replied, already starting to sway with Zuko back and forth.

It was a little awkward, maybe a little messy, but they got a rhythm down eventually. Left and right, back forth, push and pull. Katara felt the way her hips moved, and the way Zuko pulled her just a bit closer to him.

“We going to bring in some fancy footwork?” he asked softly, staring down at her. 

Katara shook her head, her face hot under Zuko’s gaze. “Too advanced for you, I think.”

“Too bad,” he replied, pulling her even closer so that all she had to do was place her head against his chest and -

No, Katara, you’re not going to do that. He was too good of a friend, he probably doesn’t feel the same way. 

Still, Katara gently placed her head on Zuko’s chest, just enough so that she could hear his rapid heartbeat. She was surprised when he rested his chin on the top of her head and squeezed her hand in his. 

“This is actually kind of nice,” he exclaimed as they continued to sway in place, her hand clammy in his. “Dancing with no music on, that is.”

“Yeah,” Katara agreed softly, closing her eyes and breathing in Zuko’s scent. 

“Kind of weirdly intimate,” he continued; Katara couldn’t see Zuko’s eyes were also closed. 

“Very sweet,” she added. “Not like a bar of chocolate, but… sweet.”

Zuko chuckled. “Sure.”

He pulled their hands into them so that rested just above his heart.

They continued swaying quietly, a comfortable silence surrounding them as they did. This was not what Katara had in mind for the night, but she had to admit, she liked it a lot better than wallowing in self pity by herself. Quiet moments with Zuko were better than absolutely anything else in the world. 

“Zuko,” she whispered after a few minutes, pausing their swaying and lifting her head off his chest so that she could look at him.

“Hmm?” he hummed, sighing happily. 

“Thanks,” she told him.

“For what, Katara?” he asked her, letting go of her hand and moving a piece of hair away from her face. 

“Just being you, I guess,” she replied, his fingers lingering on her cheek with featherlight touches. 

“Anything for you, Katara,” Zuko said softly, placing his palm on her cheek, his thumb brushing just below her eye. 

She continued staring up at him and, oh, was his face suddenly getting closer to hers? Was he leaning down or was she standing up on her tiptoes to meet him? Maybe it was both? Her free hand now made its way to his shoulder, her fingers interlocking behind his neck as he moved closer to her. 

Suddenly his lips were on hers, soft and tentative at first, but she let him deepen the kiss further. She wasn’t sure how long they were like that for, Zuko kissing her sweetly, the taste of chocolate somehow still on his lips from all the candy they had eaten earlier. All she knew was that she didn’t want it to end when it did.

“I don’t think you have any idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that,” Zuko whispered, resting his forehead against her, eyes closed in contentment. 

“Can you tell me anyways?” she whispered back, one of her fingers playing with his hair at the nape of his neck. 

“A long time,” he chuckled, finally opening his eyes. “Like, a really long time.”

“How come you never did it before, then?” she asked him. 

He shrugged thoughtfully and before he could open his mouth to answer, Katara reached up and placed another gentle kiss on his lips, causing him to moan in surprise. 

“You have no idea how long  _ I’ve  _ wanted to do that,” she told him when she pulled away. 

“So, this was better than being home alone, huh?” he teased, wrapping both arms around her and pulling her in for a hug. 

“Oh shut up,” she retorted playfully as Zuko rested his chin on the top of her head once again. 

But she had to admit, dancing in her living room with no music made up for this horrible day. Even if it wasn’t what she was expecting it to be. 


End file.
